Residents and staff at Country Cottage Assisted Living in Russellville celebrated a perfect score from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Pictured on the left: Regina Lawler, Rhonda Mills, Juanita Hipps, Gladys McAlister and Mary Beth Burleson. Pictured kneeling: Geraldine Fowler, Wanda Jones and Kelly Murray. Pictured on the right: Elree Randolph, Selena Jackson and Rogers Hester.

Many people have concerns about placing a loved one in the care of other people but the staff at Country Cottage Assisted Living proved this week that they are more than prepared for the responsibility.
On Wednesday, representatives with the Alabama Department of Public Health arrived for an annual survey to make sure the staff at Country Cottage was taking care of the residents properly and that everything was in order.
When the representatives left on Thursday, staff members were proud to see that the score sheet left behind reflected a perfect 100 score for their facility.
“This is a very big accomplishment for us,” said Selena Jackson, who serves as the managing director at Country Cottage. “There are somewhere around 900 things that they check for when they do this survey, so getting a perfect score is a big deal. It just reflects the quality of the staff and the wonderful residents that we have here.”
Jackson said the perfect score was also a great achievement because the visits from ADPH are always a complete surprise so they don’t have any time to prepare.
“The reason they just show up without notice is so they can get the most accurate picture of what things are like at any given facility on any given day,” she said. “They want to know the facility is being handled properly every day and not just when they’ll be here observing.”
Even though the visit was a surprise, Regina Lawler, who serves as the resident services director, said that wasn’t a problem for the staff at Country Cottage.
“We treat every day like someone will be coming to survey us,” she said. “We’re always trying to do our very best because these residents are precious to us and we feel privileged to work for them.”
Franklin County native Sandy Brackin serves as the vice-president of operations for the Country and Columbia Cottages Assisted Living company and Jackson said she was also present when then survey took place.
“We would not have been able to accomplish this without Sandy’s direction and guidance,” Jackson said. “She is always there if we need her and we appreciate her so much.”
Jackson said there are around 450 assisted living facilities in the state of Alabama and very few of those receive perfect scores.
“I just can’t say enough good things about our residents, families and our staff,” she said. “They’re the best around.”